Studio Visit with Mike Giant

As Mike Giant prepares for his upcoming solo show, “Metaphorical Suicide,” at the grand opening of the new Oakland gallery Manos de Oro, he invited Hi-Fructose into his studio to check out his new work and chat about art, politics, skate culture, meditation and other topics that have been preoccupying the artist as of late. Giant has created a new series of works on paper for the show, apprehending personal life changes — from health issues to relationships — and social observations through flash tattoo designs, slogans and typography. Avoiding traditional narrative compositions, Giant’s new works simply lay out series of images on blank pages. Though they appear to stand alone, the different elements of each work inform one another and reward detail-oriented viewers who take the time to read the corresponding phrases written in fine print. “Metaphorical Suicide” opens on March 23. Take a look at some photos from our visit with Mike Giant below!